But...I tried! Isn't that good enough??
A piano student comes in today--an eleven-year old boy--and sits down at the beginning of the lesson and we do our normal scales and Hanon before I hear the piece he was supposed to have practiced that week. He proceeds to play and promptly stops after six measures and looks at me. The conversation went like this:
Me: "That's it? That's all you practiced this week?! What happened to the rest?"
Student: "Well, yes; but I practiced those six measures pretty hard." (Those six measures SUCKED--Fingering was all wrong and weird, rhythm was wrong, and he wasn't even using his book, he was trying to "guess" what the notes were, even though he can read music)
Me: "Well, I think you could have practiced a little more than those six measures if you had tried harder at home...you're definitely more capable than this."
Student (under his breath): "Well...I think I did a pretty good job, and I tried so that should count for a lot."
OMG.
It can't get any more stereotypical than that. I'm so sick of some of my students hiding behind that excuse "I tried and that's more important than playing well". Absolutely SICK of it. What the hell are we doing to our kids in schools??
I'm not going to judge this kid any further than that, because, obviously, he's still just a kid and he no doubt will change as he grows up; he's a smart kid and everything, but that comment--and several others he's made just like it in past years--really irked me. I was disturbed and annoyed that the indoctrination of the inflated value of self-worth being hailed over actually working hard and succeeding (which will no doubt bring self-satisfaction and high self esteem as a result) is making my job that much harder, when what I do needn't be that complicated.
This post is on the negative side, I know that. But I had to write about it. Now, I'm going to drink my latte and not waste another second thinking about this.:P
Me: "That's it? That's all you practiced this week?! What happened to the rest?"
Student: "Well, yes; but I practiced those six measures pretty hard." (Those six measures SUCKED--Fingering was all wrong and weird, rhythm was wrong, and he wasn't even using his book, he was trying to "guess" what the notes were, even though he can read music)
Me: "Well, I think you could have practiced a little more than those six measures if you had tried harder at home...you're definitely more capable than this."
Student (under his breath): "Well...I think I did a pretty good job, and I tried so that should count for a lot."
OMG.
It can't get any more stereotypical than that. I'm so sick of some of my students hiding behind that excuse "I tried and that's more important than playing well". Absolutely SICK of it. What the hell are we doing to our kids in schools??
I'm not going to judge this kid any further than that, because, obviously, he's still just a kid and he no doubt will change as he grows up; he's a smart kid and everything, but that comment--and several others he's made just like it in past years--really irked me. I was disturbed and annoyed that the indoctrination of the inflated value of self-worth being hailed over actually working hard and succeeding (which will no doubt bring self-satisfaction and high self esteem as a result) is making my job that much harder, when what I do needn't be that complicated.
This post is on the negative side, I know that. But I had to write about it. Now, I'm going to drink my latte and not waste another second thinking about this.:P
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